Am I the only one that thinks this Ross dude is not the current DPR? This bust seems way too easy. A guy obsessed with security is ordering stuff on SR like a regular customer. He's living in the states. The whole email thing. Too easy. I'm not sure what role this Ross dude played, but I don't think he is the current DPR. If Ross found his fellow operators he needed on online message boards, wouldn't the first thing they notice is that they met on clearnet using their real names and all that jazz, and take that into consideration. Oh yea, and there apparently was no murder, at least no evidence for one.
For fucks sake, this Ross guy lived with roommates. What is the point of living with roommates if you're a multimillionaire. I bet the real DPR is ballin out in some obscure country with a non-extradition treaty with the US. I mean, seriously, if you can access and do all your work anywhere, why would you live in the country actively pursuing you? Something doesn't add up. Perhaps Ross was a go between or the founder who then sold it (there are many rumors of the current DPR not being the original). I would also have to imagine that a site like this would have had early warning systems. DPR and SR knew the government was coming for them. They stated, publicly, several times they were doing everything in their power. You don't think their would be some sort of system in place to shut everything down if the system was being attacked. The real DPR had access to some of the best hackers in the world, they would know how to do this. Also armed with this knowledge the supposed DPR still orders stuff on his own site, including finding a hit man (supposedly).
Again, I don't know what role this Ross guy plays in all this, but I simply don't believe it was him.